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After a debatable, yet assuredly close fight, where Canelo Alvarez took a split-decision victory over Erislandy Lara, Oscar De La Hoya looks to line up Miguel Cotto as Canelo's next opponent reports RingTV.
"‘Canelo' wants to fight the very best and he's going to continue to do so. Our options are wide open. Obviously, Cotto's on the list," said De la Hoya of Alvarez.
"Canelo is hungry right now and he calls the shots. I'll be sitting down with Canelo and we'll be going over strategy on what Canelo wants. Canelo has all of the options out there. I'm opening the door for everyone."
Oscar has a bit of a history of talking out of both sides of his mouth, but perhaps that's just what promoters do. Prior to the Lara fight he was very vocal about him not wanting Canelo to take that fight, but apparently now anybody CAN get it (yes, that was borrowed from Adrien Broner's oh-so-tired schtick). But really, Oscar doesn't want just anyone. He previously stated this immediately following Cotto's Martinez stoppage:
"I would love to work with Cotto Promotions on a possible Canelo-Cotto fight," said De la Hoya at the time. "July 12 is very important toward possibly seeing the pugilistic rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico once again. It would be Salvador [Sanchez] vs. [Wilfredo] Gomez, [Julio Cesar] Chavez Sr. vs [Edwin] Rosario, [Oscar] De la Hoya vs. [Felix] Trinidad. Huge!"
There's little doubt that this fight would be the best money option on the table for either fighter. Moreover, Cotto's current form under Freddie Roach will convince many that he's more than a viable threat to knock-off Alvarez. It also doesn't hurt that Oscar would love to play up the "Mexico vs. Puerto Rico" rivalry to drum up the promotion.
What's more interesting is to think about the weight-class this prospective fight would take place in. My initial thought was Cotto only went up to 160lbs for a chance to make history against a quickly declining fighter, but had no real plans on hanging around there. But conversely, Canelo has had difficulty making the 154-pound limit in recent fights. The contracted weight for the Lara fight was 155 lbs and Canelo rehydrated to a hearty 171 pounds on fight night. My guess would be that this fight comes off at a catch-weight should it take place.
Who would you favor between Canelo-Cotto at 154(5) lbs? Who would you favor at 160?